Mixing and throttling valve for gas engines



April 16, 1940.

J. H. JACOBS I 2,197,525

MIXING AND THROTTLING VALVE FOR GAS ENGINES Filed Feb. 6, 1939 fn/venior A iiornez s Patented Apr. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFECE MIXING AND THROTTLING VALVE FOR- GAS ENGINES 4 Claims.

My invention relates to mixing and throttling valves for internal combustion engines and particularly to a combination mixing and throttling valve for engines operated on gaseous fuel such as illuminating gas, natural gas or the like.

Where internal combustion engines are operated on gas received from a source of gas under pressure and mixed with air from the atmosphere, mixing and throttling means enabling operation of such engines under varying. conditions of speed and load are usually likely to involve construction of a relatively intricate and expensive nature.

An object of my invention is to provide an efiicient form, of combined mixing and throttling valve particularly adapted for use with internal combustion engines driven by gaseous fuel.

Another object is to provide such a valve which is adjustable relative to the fuel and air ratio and wherein one adjustment affects the mixture throughout the entire range of throttle opening.

Still another object is to provide such a valve wherein a single shiftable member is employed for proportional throttling in unison of both the supply of gaseous fuel to the mixing chamber and the flow of mixture from the mixing chamber.

Yet another object is to provide such a valve wherein a single member is shifted in one direction for throttling action and in another direction for adjustment of the mixture.

A further object is to provide such a valve having a minimum number of movable and wearing parts and which is of particularly simple, compact, and inexpensive construction.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Fig. l is a side view of an internal combustion engine with an embodiment of my invention operatively associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a side view of the valve member of the device of Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

Referring to the drawing an embodiment of my invention is shown associated with a gaseous fuel burning internal combustion engine 5 having an intake manifold 5a and being served by a conduit 6 containing gaseous fuel such as natural gas, illuminating gas, or the like under pressure.

My mixing and throttle valve device in the embodiment illustrated'includes a body 1 consisting in general of a horizontally extending sub- 5 stantially cylindrical portion 1a surmounted toward one end thereof by a vertical upwardly projecting substantially cylindrical portion lb. The body '3 has a longitudinally extending bore 8 in the portion "la thereof, the bore 8 being cylindrical in the portion thereof disposed below the upstanding part lb of the body and being of increased diameter in the portion of the bore situated in the left-hand (as viewed in Fig. 2) part of the body portion la.

A rotary valve member 9 shown in Fig. 4 is placed in the cylindrical part of the bore 8 underlying the upstanding portion lb of the body I. The rotary valve member 9 is of hollow or tubular construction open at its left-hand end and 20- having a closure or end wall do at its right-hand end. A shaft IE3 is mounted on the end wall 9a in centrally located relation therewith so as to project outwardly thereof. The right-hand end of the bore 8 inthe body 1 is provided with a closure plate ll secured to the body I by suitable means such as screws I2. The plate II has in the center thereof an aperture wherein the shaft H1 is journalled. The lower portion of the valve member 9 is provided with a relatively narrow slot [3 extending circumferentially of the member 9 through an are which is preferably in the neighborhood of The upper portion of the valve member 9 is provided with a rectangular opening M which constitutes a circumferentially extending slot having a'width extending through the greater portion of the length of the valve member 9. The opening or slot I4 preferably extends through an arc in the neighborhood of 90. l

The lowermost portion of the body I has a slot l5 therein similar to the slot iii in width and length of arc and situated in approximate alignment in a common plane with the slot I3, this plane being disposed normal to the rotational 45' axis of the valve member 9.

The upstanding portion lb of the body' 1 contains a vertically extending interior space [6 extending from theupper end of the body portion 11) to the bore 8. The lower end of the interior 50. space It is similar in dimension to the opening or slot l4 of the valve member 9 in a direction extending circumferentially from the member 9, and in a direction extending axially of the memher 9 is somewhat smaller in dimension than the 55 slot or opening I 4 of the member 9. The lower end of the interior space [6 in the body portion lb is situated medially between the limits of the slot or opening M in a direction axially extending relative to the valve member 9.

The portions of the valve member 9 defining the slots I3 and Hi and the portions of the body I defining the slot i4 and the lower end of the interior space It cooperate to form two valves which open and close in unison and in proportion responsive to adjustive rotation of the valve member 9 relative to the body 1. For use in adjustively rotating the valve member 9 an operating arm H is mounted on the free end of the shaft l0 and is secured thereon in non-rotative relation therewith by means of a set screw Ila. The upper end portion of the arm H is provided with an aperture ill) for purposes of connecting a control rod or the like thereto. A helical compression spring I8 is placed on the shaft Hibetween the closure plate II and the control arm ll in encircling relation with the shaft H) for the purpose of yieldably urging the valve member 9 to the right-hand limit of axial movement thereof in the bore 3 of the body A. With the valve member 9 at its right-hand limit of movement the corresponding circumferentially extending sides of the slot [3 of the member 9 and the slot E5 of the bodyl' are in alignment.

The mixing and throttle valve described above is so arranged that the left-hand open end of the bore 8 constitutes an air inlet opened to the atmosphere and communicating with the interior of the valve member 9. The slots l5 and [3 constitute a gaseous fuel inlet to the interior of the member 9 and the slot M and interior space I6 of the body l constitute a duct for leading the mixture of gaseous fuel and air to the manifold 5a of an engine. It will be seen that the degree of valve opening for admission of gaseous fuel will always be in proportion to the degree of valve opening for passage of mixture from the device to an engine as the valve member 9 is rotated to vary the fuel inlet and mixture outlet valves in unison. Thus regardless of the degree of throttle opening a certain ratio between fuel and air will be maintained within reasonable limits.

Means is provided in my device for adjustively varying the ratio of fuel and air. A bracket I9 is formed on the closure plate H and includes a free end portion 19a projecting upwardly past the free end of the shaft ill. The free end portion I90, of the bracket iii is apertured at the projected axis of the shaft H] and is internally screw threaded. A screw 2%) is screw threadedly mounted in the screw threaded aperture thus formed and is provided with a. lock nut 2| mounted on the screw and adapted to be forceably tightened against the outer side of the bracket portion |9a to lock the screw 20 in any adjusted position thereof. As the screw 26 is screwed inwardly toward the body 1, it will engage the free end of the shaft I9 and further inward movement of the screw 2!] will displace the valve member 9 to the left against the pressure of the spring 18, thus placing the slot 13 of the valve member 9 out of complete registration with the slot l5 of the body 1. It will be seen that adjustment of the screw 29 will alter the cross sectional area of the opening through which gaseous fuel is admitted without varying the cross sectional area of the opening through which the mixture of air and gaseous fuel is carried from the interior of the valve member 9. Obviously such changes in the opening-mentioned will vary the ratio ofgaseous fuel and air in the mixture delivered from my device. However, as the degree of valve opening is varied by adjustive rotation of the valve member 9 substantially the same mixture ratio will be maintained for all degrees of throttle opening and merely the delivered volume of mixture will be afiected.

The valve structure described above includes as shown and described a single valve member 9 which gives throttling action responsive to rotative adjustments of the position thereof and mixture adjustment responsive to adjustive movement thereof in an axial direction.

} The body 1 is arranged for convenient connection of a corresponding opening therein to an intake manifold such as the intake manifold 51:. of the engine 5 and a gaseous fuel supply conduit such as the conduit 6. The upper end of the upstanding portion lb of the body 1 is provided with an attachment flange 22 having bolt receiving apertures 22a provided therein in accordance with conventional practice. A sleeve 23 is inserted to a portion of its length in the upperend of the interior space It which is increased in diameter to accommodate the sleeve 23 as shown in Fig. 2. The lower portion of the body l in the vicinity of the gaseous fuel admission slot I5 is machined to provide a downwardly facing horizontally disposed flat surface lo and is provided with vertically apertured and internally screw threaded lugs 24 for securing a suitable connection element to the bottom of the body 7 in sealed relation with the flat surface F0. The flange 22 may, of course, be connected to the usual attachment flange customarily provided on intake manifolds, and the interior of the supply conduit 6 may be placed in communication with the slot It by any suitable connection means designed to fit the flattened and lug equipped lower portion of the body I.

It is apparent that I have invented a novel, extremely simple, compact and inexpensive mixing valve for internal combustion engines adapted for mixing gaseous fuel with air in adjustive ratio and controlling the volume of such mixture delivered to an internal combustion engine.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A mixing and throttling valve for mixing gaseous fuel and air for delivery to an internal combustion engine and controlling the flow of mixture thereto comprising, a hollow cylindrical valve member open at one end thereof and the interior of which constitutes a mixing chamber, and a casing having a cylindrical bore therein wherein said member is contained in rotatable and longitudinally slidable relation therewith, said casing having an opening to the exterior thereof in communication with the open end of said member to serve as an air inlet thereinto, said member having circumferentially extending slots therein diametrically opposite each other and of respective relatively small and large widths, said casing having therein diametrically oppositely situated ports substantially similar in dimensions to the respective ones of said slots and substantially aligned therewith axially of said member whereby, when said small and large ports are respectively connected to a source of gaseous fuel and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, said member may be adfill in said slots are respectively aligned and totally out of registration with the ports of respectively corresponding dimensions for throttle action, and said member maybe adjustively shifted axially between respective positions thereof wherein said narrow slot is respectively axially aligned with and completely out of axial alignment with said narrow port to effect mixture adjustment.

2. A mixing and throttling valve for mixing gaseous fuel and air for delivery to an internal combustion engine and controlling the flow of mixture thereto comprising, a hollow cylindrical valve member open at one end thereof, a casing having therein a cylindrical bore therein wherein said member is contained in rotatable and longitudinally slidable relation therewith, said casing having an opening to the exterior thereof adjoining and communicating with the open end of said member to admit air thereinto, an outwardly projecting shaft extending outwardly of the closed end of said member in co-axial relation therewith,

said casing being apertured to accommodate said shaft in journalled relation therewith, said member having circumferentially extending slots therein diametrically opposite each other and of respective relatively small and large widths, said casing having therein diametrically oppositely situated ports substantially similar in dimensions to the respective ones of said slots and substantially aligned therewith mounted on said shaft for manipulation to rotate said member between positions thereof wherein said slots are respec-.

tively completely in and out of circumferential alignment with the respective correspondingly dimensioned ones of said ports, resilient means yieldably urging said shaft outwardly relative to said casing, and means for limiting outward projection of said shaft, said limiting means being adjustable for adjustive shifting of said member in an axial direction between positions wherein said narrow slot is respectively axially aligned with and completely out of axial alignment with said narrow port whereby, when said narrow and wide ports are respectively connected to asupply of gaseous fuel and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, throttle action may be had by rotating said shaft and mixture adjustment may be effected by adjustment of said limiting means.

3. A valve for mixing air and gaseous fuel and controlling delivery thereof to an internal combustion engine comprising, a casing having a cylindrical bore therein closed at one end and open to the atmosphere at the other end, said casing also having diametrically oppositely situated respective mixture outlet and gaseous fuel inlet ports therein of respectively large and small dimensions axially of said bore, and a hollow valve member of cylindrical peripheral shape journalled in said bore and whose interior constitutes a mixing chamber for air and gaseous fuel, said valve member also having diametrically oppositely situated apertures therein generally similar to said respective parts in dimensions axially of said member and registerable with the respective ports of corresponding dimensions by suitably rotatively positioning said member whereby said member may be adjustively rotated to effect simultaneous throttle action on said ports, the end of said valve member adjoining the open end of said bore being open to constitute an air admission port of constant cross-sectional area.

4. A mixing and throttling valve for mixing gaseous fuel and air for delivery to an internal combustion engine and controlling the flow of mixture thereto comprising, a hollow cylindrical valve member open at one end thereof, a casing having therein a cylindrical bore therein wherein said member is contained in rotatable and longitudinally slidable relation therewith, said casing having an opening to the exterior thereof adjoining and communicating with the open end of said member to admit air thereinto, an outwardly projecting shaft extending outwardly of the closed end of said member in co-axial relation therewith, said casing being apertured to accommodate said shaft in journalled relation therewith, said member having circumferentially extending slots therein diametrically opposite each other and of respective relatively small and large widths, said casing having therein diametrically oppositely situated ports substantially similar in dimensions to the respective ones of said slots and substantially aligned therewith mounted on said shaft for manipulation to rotate said member between positions thereof wherein said slots are respectively completely in and out of circumferential alignment with the respective correspondingly dimensioned ones of said ports, an operating lever fixed on said shaft in outwardly spaced relation with said casing, a helical spring encircling said shaft between said lever and said casing and bearing at its respective ends against said lever and said casing, a bracket mounted on said casing and having a portion disposed outwardly of the free end of said shaft, and a screw disposed substantially axially of said shaft and screw-threadedly carried by said outwardly disposed portion of the bracket so that one end of said screw bears a ainst the free end of said shaft. 

